Cabinet-joining construction



CABINET JOINING coNsTfi uuuuu N 4 Nov. 11 14924. V .1,514,992

4 F. A. SCHMITZ CABINET JOINING CONSTRUCTION Filed June 5 192! 3 Shee's-Sheet 2 INWI/f JW. 11 1924n 1514.992-

` F. A. SCHMITZ CABINET JOINING CONSTRUCTION Filed June 54 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 lll Patented Nov. 11, 1924,

LH'REIDA. SCHMITZ, OF YOUNGSTU'WN, OHIO, TO THE GENERAL FIRE PROOFING COMPANY, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OI-IIQy A CORPORATION OF OI-IIQ.

CikBINET-JOINING CONSTRUC'JI'IOBL Application filed June 3, 1921. Serial No. 474,603.

To all whom it mog/ concern:

Be it known that I, FRED A. Scrmrrrz, citizen of the United States, residing at Youngstown, in the county of Mahoning and State of Ohio, have invented a 'certain new and useful Improvement in a Cabinet- Joining' Construction, of which the follow ing' is a specification.`

This invention relates to an improvement in ymetallic filing cabinets of the type used in ofiices for filing'records and'correspondence and containing sliding drawers for that purpose. 1

A primary object of the invention is to provide a metallic filing cabinet of maximum lightness and strength, particularly in the side wall sections thereof, and having novel features which permit of the cabinets being` readily attached when positioned side by side to add greater rigidit-y and strength to the cabinets assembled in battery formatilon. That is to say, it is proposed to provide novel means for facilitating' the coupling of one cabinet to another whereby the shearing force from one cabinet to the other may be better distributed to thus add to the stability of the assembled units.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means for insuring the efficiency of the coupling connection under all conditions of use.

With the above and other objects in view 'which will more readily appear as the nature of the nvention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claim'ed.

A preferred and Practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of several cabinets assembled in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of one of the cabinets.

Figure 3 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken on the line 5% 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view of a pair of connected anchoring ribs,

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5- 5 of Figure 4.

'Figure 6 is a side elevation showing a modified form of rib construction.

Similar reference Characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The present invention has particularly in view a novel means of assembly for two orL more cabinets, and to that end it is proposed to provide a novel side wall structure A having one or :more anchoring ribs' l formed therein, the said ribs being offset and preferably thoug'h not necessarily vertically disposed and presenting the eX- terior channels 2 opening at the outer side of the cabinet and extending part length or whole length of the cabinet. Any desired spacing of the ribs may prevail according' to the dept-h of the cabinet and each rib may be provided, at suitable intervals in the Hat wall portion 3 thereof, with outwardly oifset countersunk portions 4 having a fastening receiving opening or perforation 5. These perforations may be located in the walls of any of the ribs 1 but are preferably formed in the ribs adjacent to the corners of the cabinet to enable the fastenings or ties which constitute the means for coupling the cabinets to be more Ieffeotively distributed.

Any suitable and convenient coupling means may be utilized to cooperate with the openings 5 in the countersunk portions 4:, such for example as the bolt and nut members 6, the heads of the bolts being of sufficiently large diameter to prevent passage through the opening 5.

Upon reference to Figure 3 it will be ob-4 served thatwhen one or more cabinets having' the oifset rib portions 1 are assembled in side by side relation, the ribs of adjacent cabinets will come together in such a way that the exterior channels 2 of the ribs register to provide the closed Vertical passag'es B, while the outer face portions of the Sheets constitute the sides A, contacting throughout as at D to provide a broad contacting area which prevents a deformation of `the side sheets and assists in maintaining the' joined cabinets in stable, relation. The said anchoring ribs l in addition to forming stilfening members for reinforcing the side Sheets also constitute truss portions for oarrying and distii'ibuting the tension of the coupling elements.

`When the channels of the ribs register as above set forth, the openings 5 of the oountersunk portions in the ribs also register so that the bolt and nut coupling devices 6 may connect the walls of the tWo cabinets by turning the nut onto the bolt in the Well known manner. By reason of the countersunk portions 4 for receiving the fastenings, the ends of the same are located below the level of the ribs to prevent objectionable projections of said fastenings within the cabinets, While at the same time by reason of the resiliency of the metal in the Walls'3 of the ribs, the fastenings are placed under tension which prevents their being readily jarred loose, and also by reason of the space provided between the countersunk portions, the tightening up of the bolts Will cause a compression between the sides of the assembled oabinets to further assist in holding the same together.

Instead of being continuous, it Will be obvious that the rib might be discontinuous or interrupted, that is in an alined series of short spaoed ribs m as shown in Figure 6.

These short ribs may be arranged in adjacent rows and 'in staggered or alternated relation or any equivalent arrangen'ient as desired.

lNit-hout further description it is thought thatl the many features and advantages of the present inrention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and it Will of course be understood that changes in the form, lproportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or soope of the appended claim.

l claim:

A tensioned fastening construction 'for connecting the metallic side Walls of filing cabinets consisting of the adjacent abutting cabinet walls each having pressed-in registering channels, and a fastening for drawing the bottom Walls of said channels to- Ward each' other to connect the cabinets in tension.

In testiinony Whereof I hereunto afiix. my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

FRED A. SCHMITZ. lVitnesses VV. OCONGELL, CHAs. WV. PorE., 

